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Fayez al-Ghussein came from al-Lajjaah in Hawran (Syria).
AG1
p.3. He was born in 1883 and died on 16 March 1968.
AGII p.609.
He attended the tribal school in Istanbul created by the Ottoman Turkish
Government for the education of the sons of tribal sheikhs. This
indicates that he belonged to an important Bedouin tribe. Before the
beginning of the First World War he was a
member of a secret society1 working towards the independence
of the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire. A lawyer by profession, he was arrested by the Turks on
23 July 1915 and sent to a military prison in 'Aleyh (Lebanon). He was
later exiled to Diar Bakr (Turkey) where he arrived on 12 August 1915.
Six months later, on 27 February 1916, he fled.2

1916

His route took him across the Syrian dessert through Kurdish and Bedouin
Arab tribal territories in present-day Syria and Iraq. It took him
seventy days to walk or ride from Diar Bakr to Basra. The first British
officer he met was Captain Eady, at Nassiriyyah, who sent him on to
Basra where he met Sir Percy Cox and Gertrude Bell. All where very kind
to him and directed him to join the Arab Revolt together with other Arab
officers and soldiers who were captured or defected from the Turkish
army. He finally left Basra for Bombay on Monday 24 July 1916.
AGI p.157. He
states that he spent two months and six
days in Basra.

He stayed in Bombay for
forty-six days, leaving on Saturday 16 September
AGI p.179,
and arriving in Jeddah on Monday 25 September. He did not land in Jeddah
but left the following day by ship for Rabegh, which he reached before sunset
that evening. Here he
met Emir 'Ali,3 Emir Zayd and Nouri al-Sa'id.
He left Rabegh after three days and arrived back in Jeddah on Tuesday 3
October.
AGI p.192.

On Friday 6 October he performed the Hajj ceremonies, and
he left Mecca for Jeddah on Saturday 14 October.
AGI p.228. On Tuesday 17
October he left Jeddah for Rabegh on board the British
ship Lama, where he met Ronald Storrs and T.E. Lawrence. This is the
first time he met Lawrence and mentioned him in his memoirs. As his
memoirs were written in 1939, he described Lawrence as 'Mr. Lawrence the
English leader [sic]'
AGI p. 229.4

In Seven Pillars of Wisdom Lawrence mentions this meeting at Rabegh:
'Another friend at court was Faiz el Ghusein, a secretary. He was a
Sulut Sheikh from the Hauran, and a former official of the Turkish
Government, who had escaped across Armenia during the war and had
eventually reached Miss Gertrude Bell in Basra. She had sent him on to
me with a warm recommendation'. SP35 p.76. Lawrence is incorrect in
this introductory description of Fayez al-Ghussein. He might have been a Sulut Sheikh, but he had not worked for the Turkish Government. He did
travel from Diar Bakr to Basra across the Syrian Desert, but that area
was not known as Armenia, though Armenians lived in parts of it.
There may have been a letter of recommendation, but
Fayez al-Ghussein does not mention it in his memoirs. These minor
points are of no great importance.

It is hoped, however, that the wealth of specific
dates mentioned by Fayez al-Ghussein can fill some gaps in the
itinerary and chronology (which begin on Monday 1 January 1917) that Lawrence provides in Seven Pillars.
SP35 p.664.

Fayez al-Ghussein is
mentioned in the first published
edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1935); specifically on pages
76, 122, 124, 146, 174, 222 and 379 [388]5. Comparing these references
to the complete 1922 text of Seven Pillars shows the
differences indicated below.

1926
subscribers' abridgement, (first published for general
circulation in 1935)

Chapter LXX,
p. 388: 'Faiz el Ghusein had gone into the Lejah to prepare
for action against the Hauran Railway if the signal came"

Chapter 127, p. 434: 'Faiz el Ghusein had gone
into the Leja to prepare his Sulut tribesmen (whose strategic position gave
them a value quite disproportionate to their number) for
action against the Hauran Railway if the signal
came".

On arrival in Rabegh on Thursday morning 19 October 1916, Fayez al-Ghussein
met Emir 'Ali and Emir Zayd and Nouri al-Sa'id. After the arrival of
'Aziz 'Ali al-Masri, 'they discussed the formation of the army and
its divisions. From what was available, a whole Division was created
complete with its officers, soldiers, artillery and machine guns with Tawfiq al-Hamawi in command of the 1st Battalion and [Sayyid] Rashid in
command of the 2nd Battalion. Nouri al-Sa'id was appointed Chief of
Staff.' AGI p.229. It is assumed
that Lawrence was present in this meeting and took part in the
discussions and decisions taken.

It is interesting to note the salary scale of the newly formed army. Fayez al-Ghussein gives it in the table
below. All figures are in English sovereigns and assumed to be per month AGI p.230.:

'Aziz 'Ali al-Masri
Minister for War

80.00

Nouri al-Sa'id
Chief of Staff

40.00

Medical
doctors

37.50

Divisional
Commanders and old Captains

25.00

Captain [Yuz
Bashi] and 1st Lieutenants

17.00

Platoon
Commander

17.00

1st Lieutenant
and 2nd Lieutenant

12.00

Cavalry
officer [sic]

8.00

Sergeant Major

2.00

Sergeant

1.50

Private

1.00

On Tuesday 3 October 1916 a
major altercation occurred between Emir 'Ali and the Arab officers,
because of an insignificant incident in which a Bedouin soldier was put in
detention for disobeying orders. He wrote a letter to Emir 'Ali who
ordered his release. This action infuriated the Arab officers who
submitted their resignations and requested their return to the countries
where they had been recruited. To add to the complication,
the British liaison officer Colonel Parker has sent Emir 'Ali a memorandum
advising him to speed up the construction of the Rabegh defences as
information received indicated a major Turkish offensive in this sector.
The incident ended peacefully.
AGI p.236.

On Thursday 2 November 1916 Sharif Hussein was
proclaimed King of
the Arabs. AGI p.232. The British did not recognize this title, and
continued to refer to him as King of the Hijaz.

Fayez al-Ghussein wrote to Emir Faisal requesting to become his
secretary. The reply, received on Saturday 4 November 1916, was an
invitation to join Faisal's camp. AGI pp.239-240.
He left Rabegh on Monday 6 November to join Emir Faisal,
AGI p.240
arriving at
Faisal's camp at Bir Sa'id on Wednesday 8 November.
AGI p.245. He
then began work as Faisal's secretary at Bir Sa'id.

At this point, a word of explanation might be in order. The dated entries
that follow began when Fayez al-Ghussein joined Faisal's camp and became
his secretary. These entries are generally a few paragraphs long, but in
some cases a few pages. They contain a varied amount of information,
most of which might be very interesting, but perhaps not of particular
interest to the reader of this article. It was therefore necessary to
make a judgement about what to include.

Whenever a specific
date and place is mentioned in the memoirs it is noted, if only to fix
that date and place in the general itinerary of al-Ghussein, Lawrence,
Faisal or other well known
figures in the Arab Revolt such as Nouri al-Sai'd, Rasim Saradast,
Storrs, Wilson, Newcombe, 'Aziz 'Ali al-Masri, and Emir 'Abdallah.

Where al-Ghussein
mentions a particularly interesting incident, the reference has been
paraphrased and translated and attached to the relevant date.
Directly translated passages are reproduced within quotation marks.

Square brackets [ ] have been used where further explanation seemed
useful, or to draw attention to specific points.
This alternative to footnotes breaks the monotony of successive date
listings, while maintaining the sequence of information. Square brackets
are also used for the name of the day of the week or the Christian date
if the
writer gave only the Hijri date.

Towards the end of the article, especially where Lawrence
features more prominently, a few major headings used by al-Ghussein in
his memoirs have been retained.

15 November 1916. Wednesday. Arrived at Yanbo' [al-Bahr]. Met Major
Garland who came to Yanbo' to teach the Arabs and the army the use of
dynamite to blow bridges and trains moving between Damascus and Medina.
He has most of the credit in teaching the Arabs [meaning Bedouins and
regular Arab soldiers in Faisal's Arab Army] and others in the use of
dynamite AGI p. 256.6

22 November 1916. [Wednesday]. [Bir Sa'id]. Many Bedouin tribes came to
join Faisal's army and pay homage. Emir Faisal ordered the Egyptian
force to go ahead to Yanbo' al-Nakhl. Rasheed al-Madfa'i returned to
Rabegh. AGI p.262.

24 November 1916. [Friday]. Moved from Bir Sa'id to Wasit. Stayed for a
while and moved towards Yanbo' al-Nakhl (a wadi with numerous villages,
springs, date trees) and slept the night at Bir Jabr.
AGI p.263.

25 November 1916. Friday. [Actually it is Saturday]. Moved from Bir Jabr
and arrived about noon at Umm al-Njeel and continued to al-Suwayqah al-Harbiyyah
and reached it in the afternoon. This area belongs to the tribe of
Juhainnah extending from Yanbo' al-Bahr to Medina.
AGI pp.263-4.

25 November 1916. Saturday. Camels taken from the Turks were brought in
and confirmation of victory near Medina. Emir Faisal used to give one
English pound for a captured enemy rifle, two pounds for a killed Turk
and half a pound for a pistol. The Bedouins were coming daily to bring
in their captured booty and claim their reward.
AGI p.265.

27 November 1916. [Monday]. More Bedouin tribes come to pay homage to
Faisal. Moved to Khaif Hassan, village in wadi Yanbo' al-Nakhl. Spent
the night. AGI p.267.

29 November 1916. [Wednesday]. [Khaif Hassan]. Letter arrived from
Sharif Nasir advising that Suleiman bin Rifadah colluded with the Turks
against the Sharif [Nasir] and that he is arming the Bedouins.
AGI
p.270.

30 November 1916. Thursday. [Khaif Hassan]. Battle took place between
Bani 'Amr and the Turks in Wadi al-Safra (a day's march from Bir Sa'id).
Mawlud Mukhlis returned from Yanbo' and artillery officer Rasim Saradast
came with him together with his artillery.
AGI p.271.

The first volume ends abruptly, with probably a page missing from the
end. The page numbering of the second volume confirms this. Al-Ghussein's
daughter in Damascus published the second volume of his memoirs
posthumously in 1970. The contents of Volume II had been
serialized during her father's lifetime in al-Qabas newspaper in Damascus.
AGI p.608. After
providing an introduction summarizing the first volume, the story
continues along the same lines as the first volume, starting with page
number 274.

The first entry in
Volume II of al-Ghussein's memoirs is dated 5 December 1916. Lawrence is
mentioned more
frequently in this volume. Paragraphs that either
mention him directly or give an indication of important dates have been
translated.

5 December 1916. [Tuesday]. [Nakhl Mbarak]. General fear of a Turkish
attack. It appears from intelligence reports that the Turks have
attacked and taken over Bir Sa'id, but did not stay there. Fakhri Pasha
sent threatening letters to Bedouin tribal leaders to join the Turks,
but all answered showing their loyalty to the Arab Revolt.
AGII p.275.

6 December 1916. Wednesday. [Nakhl Mbarak]. There was a general alert of
a Turkish attack. The camp was mobilised. Sharif 'Abd al-Mun'im and
officer 'Abdallah al-Dulaimi arrived with Maxim machine guns sent by the
English to Sharif Faisal's army.
AGII p.277.

7 December 1916. [Thursday]. [Nakhl Mbarak]. News from Medina that a
Turkish plane flew over the town and crashed. A report confirmed that
the Turks advanced on our positions and stopped two hours from us at
Mreikh. AGII p.278. Officers of the Egyptian Force, artillery officer
Rasim Saradast, machine gun officer 'Abdallah al-Dulaimi and Mawlud [Mukhlis]
met to consider the situation. Went with a scouting mission but was
ordered back by Faisal. AGII p.281.

8 December 1916. [Friday]. [Nakhl Mbarak]. The Turks advanced on our
positions from Mreikh and a major battle ensued all day. In the evening
Faisal ordered the army to retreat to Yanbo' [al-Bahr].
AGII pp.283-6.

10 December 1916. [Sunday]. [Yanbo']. Aerial reconnaissance showed that
the Turks were advancing on Yanbo'. In spite of all preparations, great
fear was still felt in the camp. British ships lying anchored in the
roadstead opposite Yanbo' al-Bahr. AGII p.291.

12 December 1916. [Tuesday]. [Yanbo' al-Bahr]. Aziz 'Ali al-Masri came
from Egypt to assess the situation. A telegram was sent to Sharif 'Ali
to move two stages towards Medina to threaten Fakhri Pasha's army from
the rear. I handed this telegram to Major Garland to be sent by the
ship's wireless. 'Aziz 'Ali al-Masri left in the afternoon by sea to
Rabegh. AGII p.294.

13 December 1916. [Wednesday]. [Yanbo' al-Bahr]. Storrs came to Yanbo
and met Emir Faisal for a long time. He left the same day for Egypt. It
was rumoured that Fakhri Pasha came to [Nakhl] Mbarak to organize the
attack on Yanbo' [al-Bahr]. The situation is very critical.
AGII p.295.

14 Dec. 1916. [Thursday]. [Yanbo' al-Bahr]. News came that the Turks
started to retreat from Wadi Yanbo' [al-Nakhl].
AGII p.296.

20 December 1916. [Wednesday]. [Yanbo' al-Bahr]. Accompanied Major
Gorland [he probably means Garland] on the British ship Dafishin [he
probably means Dufferin]. The ship was on its way to Rabegh and Jeddah.
AGII p.304.7

21 December 1916. [Thursday]. [Rabegh]. Reached Rabegh with Major
Garland and went to meet Col. Wilson [Pasha], British Agent in Jeddah.
Took French frigate Buto directly to Suez without passing Jeddah.
AGII
p.305.

22 December 1916. [Friday]. On our way to Suez, the ship stopped for target practice.
AGII p.306.

24 December 1916. [Sunday]. [Suez and Cairo]. Took the train from Suez
to Cairo. Reached Cairo after sunset. Stayed at York House and met 'Abd
al-Rahman Shahbandar, Salah al-Deen al-'Athm and Jamil Mardam.
AGII p.307.

[Fayez al-Ghussein states that he stayed in Cairo over twenty days. He visited
the Savoy Hotel and met Cornwallis and General Clayton who asked him to
go to el-'Arish to meet Bedouin tribal sheikhs. He requested permission from Emir Faisal who sent him the necessary authorization.
AGII p.309.

He stayed at el-'Arish for fifteen days. He did not meet any of the
Bedouin sheikhs and the British were unable to arrange his going any
further into the Sinai. German planes were constantly dropping bombs on
them during the fifteen days he was there.
AGII p.313.

The reason Fayez al-Ghussein gives for his visit to Egypt was to take a
vacation and at the same time arrange for printing his tract on the
Armenian massacres, written in Basra at the request of Sir Percy Cox and
Gertrude Bell.

He returned from el-'Arish to Cairo on Thursday 1 February 1917 and
arrived in the evening, staying at the Khidaywi Hotel. He found
that his tract on the Armenian massacres had been published and reviewed
in al-Manar Newspaper.
AGII p.314.]

3 February 1917. [Saturday]. [Cairo]. Visited Cornwallis to arrange
sending me back to the Hijaz. Stayed in Cairo a few days until
arrangements were made. AGII p.314.

7 February 1917. [Wednesday]. [Cairo]. A meeting took place with Syrian
Arabs and Cornwallis and other British officers to arrange sending me to
Syria. AGII p.315.

[Another attempt was made by the Syrian Arabs and Cornwallis to send
Fayez al-Ghussein to meet the tribal sheikhs in Syria, to urge them to
rise in revolt against the Turks. He declined to accept this mission
without specific instructions from Emir Faisal. Besides, he had just
returned from such a mission. Three others were delegated and went, but
returned without doing anything.
AGII p.316.

The next dated entry in al-Ghussein's diary is Thursday 1 March 1917,
when he was still in Cairo. He does not give any explanation for the
time between 7 February 1917 and 1 March 1917, nor does it reconcile
with his earlier remark that he stayed in Cairo for twenty days.
According to his diary he must have spent 67 days on his Egyptian trip,
out of which he spent 15 days at el-'Arish].

1 March 1917. [Thursday]. [Cairo and Port Tewfik]. I left Cairo to Port
Tewfik. Then took the British ship Lama. Spent the night and Friday
morning [2 March 1917] on the way to the Red Sea.
AGII p.316.

[3 March 1917. Saturday]. Arrived at Dibba [a small port on the Red Sea]
in the morning and went ashore. Wilson Pasha and
Captain Lawrence, Sheikh Fuad al-Khatib and two other British officers
also went ashore.
We stayed there for two hours and then continued to Wejh. Arrived at
sunset. AGII p.317.

[4 March 1917. Sunday]. [Wejh]. News came in that Sharif Abdullah's
forces destroyed the railway between al-'Ullah and Medina, which are separated by
six stations. AGII p.318.

9 March 1917. [Friday]. [Wejh]. Letters were sent to Auda Abu Tayeh to
join the Arab army. British staff officers came and met Faisal with
Lawrence. They stayed with Faisal over two hours. Then the officers
left. It transpired that the British deciphered a Turkish telegram from
Enver Pasha [Minister for War in Turkey] to Fakhri Pasha [Turkish
Commander at Medina] ordering him to evacuate the city and retreat with
his army to the north. The British officers came to tell Faisal this
news and ask him to prepare to attack the retreating Turkish armies and
disable these armies all along the railway. Preparations were made and
Lawrence personally went to give the good news to Sharif 'Abdallah and
cooperate with him to bring or prepare the forces required to destroy
the railway and attack the retreating [Turkish] forces.
AGII pp.321-322.

12 March 1917.
[Monday]. [Wejh]. Two boats arrived carrying war materiel. News came
that Baghdad had fallen to the British.
AGII p.324.

13 March 1917. [Tuesday]. [Wejh]. British aeroplanes arrived after an
airstrip was prepared. AGII p.325.

14 March 1917. [Wednesday]. [Wejh]. Col. Newcombe preparing a party to
dynamite the railway.
AGII p.326.

3 April 1917. [Tuesday]. [Jouf]. Arrived at Jouf before noon. We heard
that the United States joined the war against Germany.
AGII p.348.

[Fayez al-Ghussein spent 14 days on the road between Wejh and Jouf].

4 April 1917. [Wednesday]. [Jouf]. In the evening we met privately with
Nouri al-Sha'lan. We gave him the letters from Emir Faisal and I wrote
his answer. AGII pp.358-9.

[He stayed in Jouf six days].

10 April 1917. [Tuesday]. Left Jouf on the road back to Wejh.
AGII p.362.

13 April 1917. [Friday]. [On the road back to Wejh.
AGII p.363.]

17 April 1917. [Tuesday]. [On the road back to Wejh]. We approached the
railway to cross between Khsheim San'a and Mu'ath-tham [Station]. We
heard loud explosions. We were intercepted by a machine gun company
commanded by Sharif Nasir with another artillery company commanded by
Rasim [Saradast], who were blowing up the railway.
AGII p.366.

19 April 1917. [Thursday]. [On the road back to Wejh]. We arrived at
Wejh after dinner. I met Emir Faisal and gave him my report. Auda Abu
Tayeh came to Wejh 2-3 days before our return. He [Auda] met Sharif
Faisal, Wilson Pasha and Captain Lawrence. They decided to send Auda,
Sharif Nasir, Nasib al-Bakri and Captain Lawrence to Wadi al-Sarhan to
meet Nouri al-Sha'lan then go to Jabal al-Druze and on their return,
Auda promised to take Aqaba. AGII p.371.

They decided to consult Sharif 'Abdallah.
They brought three cars "automobile" in which Sharif Faisal, Wilson
Pasha and their retinue embarked They took Auda with them. They met Sharif 'Abdallah at al-Faqir and
discussed with him the military situation.
AGII pp.371-2.

22 April 1917. [Sunday]. [Wejh]. The Sykes-Picot Agreement was rumoured.
A lot of confusion and discussions took place as to the position of
Syria after the war. Sharif Faisal was still with Sharif 'Abdallah.
Captain Lawrence came back and left immediately to Wadi al-Hamd, because
the aeroplane that was at the camp and had gone to reconnoitre the
railway did not return. It was understood it had engine failure and
landed at Wadi al-Hamd, and so Lawrence went with some of the English
and Bedou to help the pilot and bring back the aeroplane.
AGII p.373.

27 April 1917. [Friday]. [Wejh]. Emir Faisal, Wilson Pasha and Auda Abu
Tayeh returned to Wejh. It was decided that the regular army should
proceed to al-'Ullah [Station] and attack it.
AGII p.374.

1 May 1917. [Tuesday]. [Wejh]. Wilson Pasha and Major Joyce came to
Faisal's camp. Wilson Pasha told Emir Faisal that Mark Sykes would be
coming to Wejh tomorrow to meet him. AGII p.375.

A discussion took place between Captain Lawrence and Wilson Pasha on one
hand and Sharif Faisal and Auda Abu Tayeh on the other hand about
occupying Aqaba. It was decided that Aqaba must be taken, and Auda
promised to do that. It was decided that the attacking force will be
commanded by Sharif Nasir with Lawrence and Nasib al-Bakri and Zaki
al-Drubi and Auda Abu Tayeh will be commanders of the attacking force.
AGII p.376.

2 May 1917. [Wednesday]. [Wejh]. Sharif Faisal went to the town of Wejh
to meet Wilson Pasha and we knew that Mark Sykes arrived at Wejh and he
met Sharif Faisal accompanied by Dr. Hassan Sharaf.
AGII p.376-7.

3 May 1917. [Thursday]. [Wejh].

4 May 1917. [Friday]. [Wejh].

5 May 1917. [Saturday]. [Wejh]. Emir Faisal returned from Dabba on the
frigate Sea Gull. Mark Sykes returned from Jeddah on frigate Lama.8
They met at length on the frigate. Emir Faisal delayed the force9
from moving to the north, as it was not ready. News of a conference in
Jeddah consisting of His Majesty King Hussein, Mark Sykes, Wilson Pasha
and the French politician Picot to discuss the situation in Syria and
its fate, created a negative effect in the camp.
AGII p.382.

11 May 1917. [Friday]. [Wejh]. More Syrian Bedouin sheikhs came to offer
their loyalty to Sharif Faisal. This made the whole of the Syrian Desert
accessible to the Sharif's armies who are now welcomed everywhere.
AGII
p.384.

12 May 1917. [Saturday]. [Wejh]. Major Garland left for Emir 'Abdallah's
camp to activate the demolition of the railway. Newcombe returned from
Abu Raakah. A telegram arrived from Sharif Hussein from Jeddah asking
Emir Faisal to attend the Jeddah Conference to discuss the future of
Syria. AGII p.385.

25 May 1917. [Friday]. [Wejh]. Sharif Faisal returned from Jeddah on
Lama. We got to know that the result of the Jeddah Conference was that
Sharif Hussein authorised the English to sort out the Arab question,
including that of Syria, on his behalf, as they saw fit.
AGII p.391.10

27 May 1917. [Sunday]. [Wejh].

30 May 1917. [Wednesday]. [Wejh]. Celebrations took place for the
one-year anniversary of the Arab Revolt. AGII p.395.

7 June 1917. [Thursday]. [Wejh]. Five hundred soldiers arrived from
Mecca. Sharif Sharaf and Colonel Newcombe returned from their raid.
AGII
p.405.

10 June 1917. [Sunday]. [Wejh].

14 June 1917. [Thursday]. [Wejh]. I went on a trip with one of the
English by car to Abu Qzaz and Wadi al-Sirr. There was also another car
with more Englishmen. One of them told me that an agreement in principle
has been reached whereby inner Syria (that is, Damascus, Aleppo, Hums
and Hamma and Mousil and other territories which he did not disclose)
will be independent. The Syrian coast from Iskandaroon and Tripoli will
be given to France. He, personally, will endeavour and wishes, that the
Sharif will move forward and occupy Syria before the entry of the Allied
troops, in order that Sharif Faisal will have the right to rule over
these territories. When I inquired about Palestine, he answered that it
was not decided yet. AGII pp.406-7.

18 June 1917. [Monday]. [Wejh]. Dufferin came to Wejh.
AGII p.408.

20 June 1917. [Wednesday]. [Wejh]. Sharif Faisal went to Jeedah by car
to reconnoitre its position and whether it is suitable for an attack
against the railway from al-'Ullah [Station]. He came back the following
day. News came that three English officers lost their way on their way
to Jeedah. They found their way the following day and returned.
AGII p.409.

26 June 1917. [Tuesday]. [Wejh]. The Egyptian force under the command of
Major Joyce left for Jeedah. I was instructed by Sharif Faisal to
prepare myself to move to al-Karak, to carry letters to the tribal
sheikhs. AGII p.410

3 July 1917. [Tuesday]. Left Wejh to the north.
AGII p.411

4 July 1917. [Wednesday]. [On the road to the north].
AGII p.411

6 July 1917. [Friday]. [On the road to the north]. [This is the day that
Lawrence mentions as the day he entered Aqaba SP35
p.312.] Reached al-Khareetah in
the evening.
AGII p.415

11 July 1917. [Wednesday]. [Al-Khareetah]. Stayed in al-Khareetah for
three days. News received that Aqaba was taken by Sharif Nasir and Auda
Abu Tayeh and that Lawrence was with them.
AGII p.417.

13 July 1917. [Friday]. Left al-Khareetah to the north.
AGII p.423-4.

14 July 1917. [Saturday]. On the road to Aqabah. He reached Muwayleh [in
Wadi Muwayleh] on the Red Sea coast. AGII p. 417.

15 July 1917. [Sunday]. Reached Khraibeh, a small village on the Red Sea
coast. AGII p.418.

[16 July 1917. Monday]. Remained at Khraibeh to rest.
AGII p.420.

[17 July 1917. Tuesday]. Left Khraibeh and reached Bida', also a small
village on the Red Sea Coast. Hired 10 Bedouins to accompany him to the
north. Spent four days in their company. AGII pp.420-23.

Arrival At Aqaba[20 July 1917. Friday]. 1st Shawwal (1st day of Eid al-Fitr) we arrived
at Aqaba, and found it a run down village except for three or four
recently built houses. On entering the town we found Turkish prisoners
guarded by Sharifian soldiers in several places in the town. The
Sharif's army was camped to the east of the town. On enquiring about the
Sharif's Headquarters, we were directed to a recently built house where
we found the Emir. We exchanged greetings and he inquired about Sharif
Faisal and all the officers, the armies and friends. I informed him of
everything.
AGII pp.423-4.

Effect of Aqaba's OccupationThere is no doubt that the occupation of Aqaba was due to Emir Faisal's
determination to send a force to attack Aqaba after Auda Abu Tayeh came
to offer his services for the independence of the Arab nation and
offering himself and his tribe for this purpose. Of course, Emir Faisal
took the opinion of his English allies who considered the idea as very
good, and perhaps the idea was initially mooted by them to effect a
connection between the Arab and English armies, and make the [the Arab
army] a strong flank to the British force advancing on Jerusalem and
Damascus after occupying part of Palestine.
AGII p.425-6.

[Fayez al-Ghussein then relates the story that Sharif Nasir told him of
the movements of the force that occupied Aqaba].

I got to know from Emir Nasir that the force (hamlah) was under his
command and marched under the flag of Auda Abu Tayeh. Among the leaders
of the force were Nasib al-Bakri, to go to Jabal al-Druze with officer
Zaki Drubi; and Lawrence to accompany the force as an advisor to make
use of his military and political opinions.

The force left the town of Wejh on the 18th of Rajab [Wednesday 9 May
1917].

Sharif Nasir told us: After leaving Wejh, we sped our camels in the
direction of the Huweitat Arabs, the tribe of Auda Abu Tayeh who were
camped in Wadi al-Sarhan. I had with me thirty-five camel riders of the
'Aqeel under the command of Sharif Nasir bin Dghayther. Approximately
ten days after leaving Wejh, and after destroying a section of the
railway when crossing it, we arrived at Wadi al-Sarhan. Our force
consisted of thirty camel riders in addition to those accompanying Nasib
al-Bakri and Lawrence of about twenty camel riders. On arrival at Wadi
al-Sarhan, we pitched our tents close to those of the Huweitat, and
remained there for a few days to rest and forget the rigors of travel.

It was decided by all of us that Auda Abu Tayeh was to take the amount
of six thousand English sovereigns and deliver them to Nouri bin
Sha'lan, and get his opinion about what is to be done. Auda left for
this purpose. After a few days he returned and told us that Nouri wishes
to meet us. We went to meet him somewhere close to al-Jawf. After
greetings he promised his assistance and we returned to Wadi al-Sarhan
and communicated with the Huweitat sub-sections. After Auda facilitated
matters, Nasib al-Bakri left for Jabal al-Druze to perform the duty
delegated to him, which is to spread the information in al-Jabal
[Druze], and attempt to instil the spirit of the revolt and the rise
against the Turkish government there.

We left with Auda Abu Tayeh and his men and Lawrence, and after the
Huweitat gathered at Bayer we headed (with God's blessings) in the
direction of Abi al-Lassan with the intention of attacking the Turkish
force there. When we came close to Abi al-Lassan we came under heavy
artillery and machine gun fire, but this hardly affected the brave
Huweitat men. They raided the defended position, and after a few hours
you could see three hundred bodies strewn on the ground, others fled
while we captured about two hundred soldiers.
AGII pp.423-427.

The effect of the victory on the tribes.On seeing our victory over Abi al-Lassan, we were joined by most of the
tribes in the area, who attacked all the fortified positions at Quweirah
and its neighbourhood...

When the Aqaba garrison saw all these people surrounding the fort, we
sent them a letter advising what happened at Abi al-Lassan and Quweirah.
They did not submit and responded with artillery and machine gun fire.
But they did not withstand the valiant and daring attacks of the
Huweitat, and surrendered after a three days' siege. We entered Aqaba
with over seven hundred Turkish soldiers prisoner and thirty officers,
among them a German officer. An almost equal number was killed while
only a few bedu died. About thirty riding camels were killed.
AGII, pp.427-8.11

Lawrence in EgyptWhen I asked about Lawrence he said that he went to Egypt by land to
send ammunition, as their stocks have finished, also they had no food to
eat or feed their prisoners. He said Nasib al-Bakri did not come back
from the mountain [Jabal al-Druze]. The truth was that the condition of
the prisoners was pathetic, as the Arabs [Bedouins] have taken even
their clothes.

They were all famished due to lack of food and provisions in general at
Aqaba. Sharif Nasir did not also have funds to buy flour for the
prisoners and Bedou who came to visit the Sharif. Add to this the fear
of the Turks lest they send a force to recapture areas occupied by
Sharif Nasir and Auda Abu Tayeh including Aqaba....
AGII, pp.428-9.

[Fayez al-Ghussein left Aqaba by sea on board the British ship
Northbrook on Monday 23 July 1917. He reached Wejh on Tuesday 24
July and Faisal's camp at Jeedah on Friday 27 July. Emir Faisal
asked about Sharif Nasir, Lawrence and Nasib al-Bakri. He gave him all
the news and told him that Lawrence went to Egypt through the Sinai
desert as soon as he reached Aqaba, to send provisions for the army and
the prisoners in Aqaba].
AGII, p.430-1.

28 July 1917. [Saturday]. Left Jeedah in the evening back to Wejh.
AGII,
p.437.

30 July 1917. [Monday]. [10 Shawwal]. Arrived at Wejh and left it on
board Harding. [Fayez al-Ghussein does not specify the date they left
Wejh on board Harding.]
AGII p.438. Also on board were Col.
Wilson, Lawrence, Khalid al-Hakim and officer 'Ali Jawdat and other
officers.

4 August 1917. [15 Shawwal]. Reached Aqaba. Lawrence left to Quweirah to
meet Auda Abu Tayeh, and after giving him a sum of money returned and
went to Egypt on board the same ship. AGII p. 438.

1 September 1917. [Saturday]. [Aqaba]. General Clayton and Major
Cornwallis arrived in Aqaba on board Harding. They are high ranking
Englishmen and of their nobility who sincerely love the Arabs.
AGII p.445.

20 September 1917. [Thursday]. [Aqaba]. News came that the Huweitat
Arabs [Bedou] who went with Lawrence towards Mudawwara Station blew up
two trains and destroyed their locomotives, wheels and freight wagons.
The Bedou took large quantities of booty and killed several soldiers
[Turkish]. Among the passengers were several women who were brought to
Aqaba. As they were Arab women, they were sent to Mecca by order of
Sharif Faisal. The force destroyed Mudawwara Station and with Lawrence
were two English explosives experts who did an excellent job in placing
the explosives at the right time. AGII p.456.

23 September 1917. Sunday. [Aqaba]. Lawrence came with the two English
officers we mentioned in the Mudawwara Station action.
AGII p.457.

7 October 1917. Sunday. [Aqaba]. News came that Lawrence and some
Huweitat Arabs [Bedou] blew up a train going in the direction of Medina.
Several Turkish soldiers were killed and many were taken prisoner
including ten officers, in addition to a lot of provisions, rifles and
ammunition that were on their way to Ibn Rashid.
AGII pp.461-42.

9 October 1917. [Tuesday]. [Aqaba]. Lawrence came back from his raid
accompanied by Fayez al-Mu'ayyed, Badri al-'Athm and Lutfi al-'Asali who
were practising the use of dynamite and blowing up trains.
AGII p.462.

Emir 'Abd al-Qadir and Lawrence25 October 1917. Thursday. [Aqaba]. Sharif 'Ali bin al-Hussein
al-Harithi and Lawrence left. The next day they were followed by Emir
'Abd al-Qadir, the intention being that they should raid and destroy
Hijaz Railway bridges between Tel Shihaab and Palestine. If the Turkish
Army retreats from the vicinity of Jerusalem and those areas, they will
not be able to return to Damascus using the railway, and will remain
captive in the hands of the English armies. Emir 'Abd al-Qadir said that
these parts are under his influence and that of his relatives, which
could be useful. The Emir ['Abd al-Qadir] did not seem comfortable and
his face showed expressions of unease. He was not happy for the presence
of Lawrence, as if he wanted to say that the Arabs should do their
Revolt on their own without any foreign interference. He forgot that the
Arabs are unable to prosecute their Revolt against a powerful
country... and they are weak in every respect.
AGII pp.465-6.

As we will understand later, Emir 'Abd al-Qadir's joining [the Revolt]
was not good for the Revolt and for himself, as after he went for a few
days with Sharif 'Ali bin al-Hussein [al-Harithi] and Lawrence, he left
them without a word and went in the direction of Jabal al-Druze, then to
Dera'a and Damascus where he told the Turkish authorities of the
Sharif's and Lawrence's trip and ruined their work. This was the reason
for the animosity that appeared later and resulted in his death while he
was very young. AGII p.466-7.

24 November 1917. [Saturday]. [Aqaba]. One of the soldiers accompanying
Lawrence [Lt. Wood] came back with a letter from Sharif 'Ali [al-Harithi] to Sharif
Faisal saying that after he left Aqaba with Lawrence and Emir 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, he [Emir 'Abd al-Qadir] left them and went to
Jabal al-Druze. After seeing what Emir 'Abd al-Qadir has done they were
not able to reach the big bridge they intended to blow up, but placed
dynamite under a bridge close to Tel Shihaab and this they also were not
able to blow up. They returned without completing their job, as
circumstances did not help. They placed the dynamite under the railway
and waited for one day and one night, and on the following day they
exploded the dynamite under a passing train, throwing the locomotive in
the air and destroying most of the wagons.
AGII p.478.

Arrival of Lawrence25 November 1917. [Sunday]. [Aqaba]. Lawrence arrived and confirmed the
destruction of a train by him and Sharif 'Ali [al-Harithi]. Jamal [Pasha
the minor] was in the train accompanied by a turbaned person whom they
initially thought as As'ad al-Shuqairi, but it was later understood that
he was an imam of the column accompanying the train.
AGII p.479.

[Note: This mention of
Lawrence is a second paragraph beneath the date 25 November 1917.
According to Lawrence's diary and Seven Pillars, he returned to
Akaba late in the evening of November 26. It is possible that Al-Ghussein
continued his narrative here without specifying that he was talking
about the following day.]

The Arab Army at AzraqEmir Faisal has ordered Sharif 'Ali bin al-Hussein al-Harithi to stay in
Azraq after destroying the bridge with the assistance of Lawrence. We
saw that he failed to destroy the bridge but blew up a train with
Lawrence on their way back. After they completed this operation, Sharif
'Ali went to Azraq... and Lawrence returned to Aqaba.
AGII p. 481.

1918

[Fayez al-Ghussein requested permission from Emir Faisal to accompany
the army moving north. He left Aqaba on Sunday 9 December 1917, giving a
detailed description of the move with a rare glimpse of the costs of
running the army as far as the Bedouins were concerned. He arrived at
Azraq on Friday 4 January 1918. He describes his stay with Sharif 'Ali
al-Harithi in Azraq and gives details about the various notables and
tribal chiefs who came to visit. He mentions great shortages in food for
themselves and fodder for the animals, which was provided by the Druze
from Jabal al-Druze until provisions arrived from Aqaba. He finally left
Azraq on Tuesday 12 March to accompany some dignitaries on their
way to Aqaba. On the sixth day they arrived at Waheedah then to Abi
al-Lassan. After lunch they left and met Lawrence on their way who told
them that he was on his way to al-Tafeelah to join Sharif Zayd and
arrange with the commanders their how to recapture Tafeelah].
AGII pp.494-525.

[He left Aqaba again on
Thursday 28 March 1918 and reached al-Quweirah on Saturday 30 March about sunset. He left al-Quweirah
on 1 April
heading towards Azraq as he asked Emir Faisal's permission to visit
al-Lajjaah and visit his family. The following day they went up al-Naqab,12 and after climbing it they reached Abi al-Lassan where they found
Lawrence who was there ahead of them and had camped there. They left the
following day with Lawrence and camped at Waheedah with Mawlud
[Mukhlis]. Lawrence told them that advance parties of the English Army
destroyed eight kilometres of the railway close to al-Laban... and that
the [British] army will enter 'Amman that day].
AGII p.535.

3 April 1918. Wednesday. [Waheedah]. About one o'clock we left Waheedah. Lawrence went ahead of us with Bani Sakhr sheikhs. After a while
we caught up with Lawrence who was accompanied by
Sheikhs from Bani
Sakhr and we kept with
them until after sunset when we camped and slept in the open after
making coffee and tea and cooking our supper. We rose after midnight and
crossed the railway north of Umm al-Jurthaan Station. The Turks played
their electric searchlights on us but did not come near nor did they
fire at us. We separated from Lawrence, then joined up with him after he
and his companions wanted to destroy the railway and we were heading to
Azraq then Jabal al-Druze and al-Lajjaah. On Friday 5 April we
[barracked] our camels with Lawrence [and several of his companions] at Shu'aib al-Msheish. After lunch we bade each other farewell and each
went his separate way. We arrived at Sharif 'Ali bin al-Hussein
al-Harithi's camp [at Al-Shomary 'Uwaynid close to Azraq] on Sunday 7
April 1918. AGII pp.535-6.

[During this time Fayez al-Ghussein spent some time with his family in
al-Lajjaah and Jabal al-Druze rallying the tribes for the cause of the
Arab Revolt].

25 May 1918. [Al-Lajjaah]. Saturday. In the evening I was visited by
Emir 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, who passed on the salaams of his brother
Emir Sa'id [al-Jaza'iri], and his uncle Emir 'Abdallah [al-Jaza'iri]. He
said he came to pass his greetings and respect to Sharif Faisal and the
Sharifian family, and that they are all still loyal and wish the Revolt
every success; that the Arabs should rise in this world and gain their
independence at the hands of the Sharifs and that English hands should
not touch this independence and fritter away the effort... The Turkish
rule, no matter how oppressive is better than English colonization. I
answered him that I shall pass his message to my Lord Sharif Faisal, and
then took him to task for leaving Sharif 'Ali al-Harithi and Lawrence
and his return to Damascus and his telling Jamal Pasha about the
preparations for blowing up the bridge [al-Majami']
AGII p.557.13 He
answered that his conscience did not permit him to betray his
co-religionists for the sake of the English. I told him that he was not
serving the English but his oppressed nation; and the Turks were and
still are the cause of its decline. We are a weak nation and if we do
not seek the help of a strong nation such as the English we will never
gain what we are after and will remain forever under the dictatorial
Turkish rule. He did not answer me and kept insisting that he will not
serve the English. AGII p.557.14

[The above conversation between the author of the memoirs and 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri is ample cause for the animosity between Lawrence
and 'Abd al-Qadir. Lawrence must have sensed this attitude from 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri during the brief period they spent together in
Aqaba and for a few days when they travelled together, let alone
when 'Abd al-Qadir betrayed them to Jamal Pasha. It made him fiercely adamant that 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri should not appoint himself the head of an interim
government in Damascus immediately after its occupation and pending the
arrival of Sharif Faisal].

25 June 1918. Tuesday. Left home at al-Lajjaah on his way south to meet
Sharif Faisal in Aqaba. AGII p.567.

8 July 1918. Monday. Left Waheedah Sunday evening [7 July]. Arrived
at Abi al-Lassan at one o'clock after midnight and found Sharif Faisal
still up so we met him. AGII p.576.

29 July 1918. Monday. [Abi al-Lassan]. All those who came with us from
the north left back to their country, including all the Druze and
al-Suradiyyah. Lawrence arrived from Egypt after passing on his way by
Jeddah. He met Sharif Faisal at length and discussed with him military
operations to be made from now on. Lawrence was getting his orders from
General Allenby and passing them to Sharif Faisal, commander of the Arab
armies, considered by the English General [Allenby] as two military
divisions, provisioned by food, arms and clothes on this basis.
AGII p.586.

Sharif Faisal and Lawrence went by car to al-Tahouneh to inspect the
army there and returned in the evening. AGII p.586.

31 July 1918. Wednesday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Rwalah riders came with a
letter from Nouri [al-Sha'lan] and that he will be with Sharif Faisal.
AGII p.586.

11 August 1918. Sunday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Salih al-Smaadi came with a
letter from Dr. Ahmad Qadri to Sharif Faisal about the Turkish army
positions and strength in the Palestine front and al-Salt.
AGII pp.589-90.

12 August 1918. Monday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Lawrence and Col. Joyce left by
cars to Bayer then to Azraq to choose landing sites for planes as Sharif
Faisal was planning to move his headquarters closer to al-Jabal [Druze]
and Liwa of Hawran, and probably the headquarters would be at Azraq or
close by. AGII pp.589-90.

13 August 1918. Tuesday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Sharif Faisal ordered a car to
be prepared for him and told me to be ready to travel with him. We left
together with Sharif Zayd on the road to Waheedah and after a while we
stopped outside the tent of Nouri al-Sa'id. Inside we found Emir Sa'id
al-Jaza'iri... who after a while handed Sharif Faisal a letter. He read
it, gave it to his brother Sharif Zayd to read... It was from Jamal Pasha
[al-Marsini] who took over the forces [Turkish] in Syria and Palestine
after the dismissal of Jamal Pasha [al-Saffaah].

He then ordered me to write an answer, which he dictated to me in
Turkish as follows:

"... I received your letter and understood its contents, and I had
already received a letter from your predecessor Jamal Pasha, commander
of the 4th Army who also pointed out to us what we should do as Muslims
belonging to the Prophet's lineage. I had answered him at length and
explained to him the reasons which led us to take up arms against the
Government, no need to go into now again for no reason. He did not
answer us, which indicates that he did not intend by his letter but to
sedate us and make use of such correspondence to create suspicion in the
minds of our allies. We now tell you that we are very careful not to sow
discord among the Muslims, but as we suggested in the past, we were not
the ones who started this. We see now that you are very late by this
person whom you delegated, when the English Army is at the doors of
Syria and has overwhelmed your armies, and victory has become assured
for it. If you sincerely love the Arabs, you only have to withdraw your
armies and declare the independence of the Arab countries and thus prove
your good intentions towards the Arabs before others declare it and
become a fait accompli in spite of your wishes."

After dictating the letter, I made a final draft that Sharif Faisal
signed and handed to Emir Sa'id. The conversation went on between Sharif
Faisal and Emir Sa'id during which he [Sharif Faisal] entrusted him
[Emir Sa'id] to raise the Arab flag on government offices when the
Turkish Army and employees withdraw from Damascus, and an interim
government be formed in the name of His Majesty Sharif Hussein, King of
the Arabs, and the flag to be raised before the arrival of the Allied
Armies. Emir Sa'id promised Sharif Faisal to do all what he [Sharif
Faisal] has entrusted him.

Emir Sa'id stayed the rest of the day and returned to Ma'an accompanied
by Sharifian forces to the limits of Ma'an.

After Emir Sa'id left, I returned to Abi al-Lassan in the company of
Sharif Faisal and Sharif Zayd. AGII pp.590-91.

20 August 1918. Tuesday. [Abi al-Lassan]. A thousand Druze came with
Ahmad [Hamad (15)] al-Barbour, Sayyah al-Atrash and 'Abdallah
al-'Abdallah [al-Atrash] fully armed. Paraded by Sharif Faisal who was
very pleased. Nouri al-Sha'lan left today after Sharif Faisal has been
very generous to him. He took loads of English rifles, sugar, rice,
coffee and thousands of gold sovereigns. Sharif Faisal went with him up
to Waheedah. AGII pp.593-94.

Lawrence and Joyce returned from Azraq after making a choice for a
landing site. AGII p.595.

29 August 1918. Thursday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Al-Qiblah Newspaper arrived
with a news item that Ja'far al-'Askari was not the commander of the
Northern Army but one of the officers. Also a telegram came to Sharif
Faisal from Sharif Hussein to this effect. This created a lot of
disturbance within the army and surprise among the Arab officers and the
English and even the Bedou.

Sharif Faisal resigned, and his resignation was accepted by his father
[Sharif Hussein]. Lawrence knew of this and told General Allenby and
requested that he should intervene. He did, and things went back to
normal. AGII pp.597-98.

In two or three days preparations were made for the armies to move
north. AGII p.598.

30 August 1918. Friday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Dr. Ahmad Qadri arrived from
Damascus. He was one of the founders of the Souriyyah al-Fatat [one of
the secret societies]. He used to write frequently to Sharif Faisal
explaining the general conditions prevailing in Syria in general and
Damascus in particular, explaining the political situation and that of
the army. He got his information from fellow members of the Society
[Souriyyah al-Fatat] who were officers. AGII p.599.

6 September 1918. Friday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Sharif Nasir left accompanied
by Lawrence in a car. They took with them Assad al-Atrash and Ibrahim
al-Atrash, and they left towards Azraq to supervise the condition of the
advancing armies and prepare its reception and appoint its disposition.
On Monday the Turks attacked in force the well-defended position of
Simnah. AGII p.601.

10 September 1918. Tuesday. [Abi al-Lassan]. Sharif Faisal ordered a
move towards the north and Syria. The only positions remained with
soldiers were the positions of Simnah, Waheedah and al-Tahouneh.
AGII
pp.601-2. We rode that day and the following day about five in the
afternoon we crossed the railway. On the third day of leaving Abi
al-Lassan we reached al-Jafer, were we found Sharif Faisal who arrived
ahead of us by car. AGII p.602.

20 September 1918. Friday. [On the move to the north]. Lawrence who was
accompanying Sharif Nasir, Nouri al-Sha'lan, Auda Abu Tayeh and Nouri
al-Sa'id, returned and advised that the army under the command of Sharif
Nasir has destroyed the railway north and south of Dera'a and pulled
rails from Naseet [probably meant Nasseeb] to Khirbet al-Samra. They
also destroyed Mzeireeb Station. AGII p.604.

21 September 1918. Saturday. News came that the English took Nablus,
Tulkarim and Nazareth after a fierce battle.
AGII p.604.

22 September 1918. Sunday. [On the move to the north]. Lawrence left by
plane to Jerusalem to meet General Allenby. He returned the following
day and confirmed the news of the fall of Nablus, Tulkarim and Nazareth.
Lawrence also said that General Allenby ordered the advance of all of
Sharif Faisal's armies towards and north of Dera'a. So Sharif Faisal,
Nouri al-Sha'lan (who recently returned), together with Lawrence left to
al-Mta'iyyah. He [Sharif Faisal] ordered that all the Bedou should
advance, so all of them and the 'Aqeel companies moved to al-Mta'iyyah.
AGII p.605.

25 September 1918. Wednesday. [Al-Mta'iyyah]. Col. Joyce returned with
his armoured cars after reconnoitring the Dera'a area. News came that
the English Armies reached Tel Shihaab and the Supreme Commander
[Allenby] sent a telegram to Sharif Faisal to stop destroying the
railway between Dera'a and Damascus as the English Army is now in
control, and thinks that occupying Damascus and environs is a near
possibility, and destroying the railway will be counter productive. News
also in that the English cavalry occupied Mafraq Station. A plane
dropped letters today from General Headquarters which carried the news
that Ma'an was taken by the army of Sharif Zayd, that al-Salt finally
fell to the English, that the British [this is the first time the word
British appears in the book] armies took Samakh and its forward units
are racing towards Athri'aat. Auda Abu Tayeh returned from his raid with
Sharif Nasir and reached al-Mta'iyyah where Sharif Faisal has his
headquarters. AGII pp.605-6.

[Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, the paramount Druze chieftain, together with
[Ahmad] al-Barbour attacked and occupied Busra Eski Sham under the
Sharifian flag on 25 September 1918 [Wednesday]. From there they moved
to Sheikh Meskin where they met Sharif Nasir [al-Harithi], Nouri
al-Sha'lan and Auda Abu Tayeh. The latter handed him [al-Atrash] a
letter from Emir Faisal.
HAR p.136.

They moved towards Damascus, where near Deir 'Ali [three hours distance
from Damascus], they met Turkish forces under the command of Rida Pasha
al-Rikabi. A major battle ensued where the army under the command of
Sultan Pasha al-Atrash took 21 guns from the Turks with a large amount
of ammunition. They all entered Damascus on Sunday 29 September 1918].
HAR pp.137-8.

26 September 1918. Thursday. The English took 'Amman. Sharif Faisal
returned after a trip by car to reconnoitre the situation close to
Dera'a. AGII pp. 606-7.

27 September 1918. Friday. News came in that Sharif Nasir took Dera'a,
and that Sharif Faisal left al-Mta'iyyah with Dera'a as his destination.
AGII p.607.

28 September 1918. Saturday. We left Umm al-Maqabir with Mihjem
al-Sha'lan and his people, and on Monday 30 September we reached Dera'a
where we found Sharif Faisal had reached it before us. It [Dera'a] was
occupied by Sharif Nasir, Lawrence, Nouri al-Sa'id, Nouri al-Sha'lan and
Auda Abu Tayeh. AGII p.607.

[Emir Sa'id [al-Jaza'iri] declared the independence of the country and
sent telegrams to all the Syrian areas to this effect on 29 September
1918. His brother 'Abd al-Qadir raised the Arab flag over Government
House in Damascus on the same day]. HAR p.138.

At this point the memoirs end abruptly. Fayez al-Ghussein's daughter explains that this
was what her father had published in al-Qabas [newspaper] before his death.
She did ask her cousin Badr, who accompanied his uncle at this stage, to
give her some further details. He said: "When we left Dera'a we reached
al-Mismiyyeh were we stayed the night to see the family and left for
Damascus. The Arab Army had already reached Damascus and raised the Arab
flag there. After three nights Sharif Faisal left Damascus for Aleppo,
accompanied by Fayez al-Ghussein. AGII pp.608-09.

Fortunately, in Volume I of his memoirs Fayez al-Ghussein does
mention the trip he made with Emir Faisal to the Peace Conference in
Paris. He
used the occasion of meeting Emir Faisal for the first time in Bir Sa'id
to give a brief physical description of the Emir, his general
characteristics and manners, and goes on to describe the address he gave
at a dinner given by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and the
sensation he created. Lawrence is not mentioned as attending this
particular dinner. Here is al-Ghussein's story beginning with a brief
description of Emir Faisal.

'Sharif Faisal is of moderate height, white faced with a reddish beard,
piercing hazel-coloured eyes, good looking face, smiling and cheerful...
He speaks classical Arabic with a Hijazi accent... He smokes
incessantly... I have never seen a more patient person in my life. In
the three years I accompanied him, I saw him angry only once when he
slapped a slave on the face... He eats little and drinks tea and coffee
sparingly... He is a born statesman... I remember his brief address at
the Quai d'Orsey in Paris. This came about after he entered Damascus
victorious and left for Aleppo with myself in his company, as I was his
private secretary and cipher writer. After reaching Aleppo he received a
telegram from his father requesting his travel to Paris to attend the
Peace Conference to represent His Majesty his father in this august High
Court made up of the heads of state and its important personalities. He
travelled to the West after passing by Damascus and Beirut and I
accompanied him from Aleppo to Paris. On the following day to his
arrival, M. Pichon the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, invited him
for dinner. We had dinner at the special dining room at the Quai d'Orsay, and after dinner M.
Pichon gave an impromptu address in which
he thanked His Majesty King Hussein, and Emir Faisal for the help they
gave the allied governments. He ended by raising a toast to Emir Faisal.
All the ambassadors of the countries were present.

'Sharif Faisal stood up, filled a glass with pure water, and gave an
impromptu answer in which he... thanked the Allies for their invaluable
help to the Arab Army and sending what was needed in money and
arms... and that he will await that they complete their favours by
enabling the Arabs to reach their aim of independence. If they do that,
they would have completed their favours to the end. He said: My religion
forbids me to drink alcoholic drinks, and prefer to toast those present
with this pure water devoid of any sedition. Mr. Kaddour bin Ghibreet
was translating his speech word for word.
AGI, pp.249-50.

Notes

1. He does not specify the name of this society in his memoirs, except
to say that a third society was established by 'Abd al-Ghani al-'Araysi.
It is possible that Fayez al-Ghussein was a member of Souriyyah
al-Fatat, one of the main nationalist secret societies established at
that time. (back)

2. The author gives some of the dates as a mixture between the Christian
and Hijri years; for example: 24 July 1333 A.H. I have substituted the
Hijri year to the corresponding Christian year. This presentation has
been followed throughout this article for ease of reference. If the
day the week was not given, it is added within square brackets.
(back)

4. The actual word used by Fayez al-Ghussein was "al-Za'im al-Inklizi".
According to Hans Wehr's dictionary the word Za'im means leader and
could also mean a military rank of colonel (used in Iraq 1922), and
brigadier general (used formerly in Syria). (back)

5. This last entry was mistakenly entered as page 376 in the 1935 edition of
Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It should have been page 386.
(back)

6. Apparently the author of the memoirs became friendly with Major
Garland and discussed the general political situation with him.
(back)

7. Al-Ghussein mentions that the Dufferin was a small ship prepared to
transport merchandise, and not passengers. They spent their time on
deck, and Major Garland was very kind and attentive. (back)

8. The name of the ship was misprinted in the memoirs as
Laha. Also, the
Lama is not a frigate but a converted liner. (back)

9. This is the force intended to take Aqaba and headed by Sharif Nasir
and accompanied by Lawrence and Auda Abu Tayeh. (back)

10. This is typical of Sharif Hussein's lack of attention to detail and
his complete trust in the British. Unfortunately, such a cavalier
attitude to serious matters created for the Arabs, Sharif Hussein
himself and the British a lot of misunderstanding in the days to come.
(back)

11. It is not clear whether the writer of the memoirs intended to say
that they took seven hundred Turkish soldiers prisoner when they
captured Aqaba, or that they brought them with them before they took
Aqaba. Lawrence clarifies this point in Seven Pillars that they brought
them with them before they took Aqaba. (back)

12. Al-Naqab is a gorge-like pass, which rises between Wadi Rumm and the
plateau of Ma'an. It is tortuous and steep. (back)

13. Jisr [bridge] al-Majami' is on the River Jordan in the Jordan Valley
and not on the Yarmouk River. The author must have made a mistake in
naming the bridge that was supposed to be blown up by Lawrence and his
party. (back)

14. It is interesting to note that throughout the whole memoirs, the
author always referred to the English [al-Inkleez] and not the British.
It is only after the Second World War that the word British [Bareetania
and al-Bareetaniyyin] became more commonly used. (back)

15. Fayez al-Ghussein made a mistake in the name of Hamad al-Barbour by
calling him Ahmad al-Barbour. (back)

T. E. Lawrence chronology

﻿

1888 16 August: born
at Tremadoc, Wales

1896-1907: City of Oxford High School for Boys

1907-9: Jesus College, Oxford, B.A., 1st Class Hons, 1909

1910-14: Magdalen College, Oxford (Senior Demy), while working at the British
Museum's excavations at Carchemish

1915-16: Military Intelligence Dept, Cairo

1916-18: Liaison Officer with the Arab Revolt

1919: Attended the Paris Peace Conference

1919-22: wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1921-2: Adviser on Arab Affairs to Winston Churchill at the Colonial Office

1922 August: Enlisted in the Ranks of the RAF

1923 January: discharged from the RAF

1923 March: enlisted in the Tank Corps

1923: translated a French novel, The Forest Giant

1924-6: prepared the subscribers' abridgement of Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1927-8: stationed at Karachi, then Miranshah

1927 March: Revolt in the Desert, an abridgement of Seven
Pillars, published

1928: completed The Mint, began translating Homer's Odyssey

1929-33: stationed at Plymouth

1931: started working on RAF boats

1932: his translation of the Odyssey published

1933-5: attached to MAEE, Felixstowe

1935 February: retired from the RAF

1935 19 May: died from injuries received in a motor-cycle crash on 13 May

1935 21 May: buried at Moreton, Dorset

﻿

This T. E. Lawrence Studies website is edited and maintained by
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